Jun 18, 2012

A hearty healthy breakfast packed with fiber, vitamins, and nutrients... in a jar (no cooking required)!

Now that the weather is warm, almost every weekday morning after the gym I have either a green smoothie or a bowl of berries, topped with some crunchy granola, nuts and chia seeds with a little almond milk. It's my favorite quick breakfast and fills me up.

Overnight Oats in a Jar is very popular on Pinterest these days. Have you tried them? Some add Greek yogurt to their oats for more protein, but personally I'm not a fan of the tangy taste of yogurt in my oatmeal. Since granola is basically toasted oats, I decided to take my favorite morning combination using oats instead of granola and place them in a jar overnight to see how they taste the next day!

Verdict: after removing the jar from my refrigerator this morning, I let is sit on the counter while I went to the gym to get the chill out of it. Oatmeal was on my mind all morning as I ran on the treadmill and when I got back I was excited to have breakfast right there on my counter waiting for me and I enjoyed every last spoonful! Yum!

True story: My younger brother had very high cholesterol (he's thin) in his 30's and was able to lower it by over 100 points without the help of any medication, just buy eating raw oats every morning for about 6 months and getting regular exercise. He also increased some healthy oils, but he swears by the oatmeal. The doctor was amazed because they wanted to put him on Lipitor, but my brother insisted on trying to lower it with diet first to see if he could. Oatmeal has since been a part of his daily breakfast routine.

p.s.- I was never a fan of the taste of Stevia until I tried the liquid drops from NuNaturals. Stevia lovers always told me good things about NuNaturals so when I finally got to try it, I see why. You don't get that bitter aftertaste you get with other brands on the market. You can find it at Whole Foods or online, but if stevia isn't for you, use whatever you prefer in your home, a little brown sugar or maple would also work, or you can leave the sweetener out completely. Enjoy!!

Walgreens is usually much cheaper. Our natural food store is highly over-priced. Definitely way over my budget! Better yet, Winco usually has stuff like that for a great price in their bulk foods section. If you wanted to keep away from the big box retailers you can check out an Indian or Asian spice store. Still a much better deal than a health food store, at least around here it is.

I've been making this stuff ever since I saw a similar recipe on The Yummy Life! In fact, I just had some for breakfast this morning, using halved pitted cherries and raw organic honey in it. So good in the summer!

Two other uses for these: 1) I made a bunch of different types (strawberries, raspberries, etc) for a new mom. I put them in those little plastic storage jars with a screw lid. She ate some and froze the rest for another time. She was super excited about it!

2) I have also made these in the morning (I make 1 or 2), add a little cocoa to one, and then have it as my evening snack. I know snacking in the evening is not good for you, but it has helped me eat something better for me than having a candy bar or piece of leftover birthday cake.

I am also thin and have been a competitive athlete for most of my life, but have high cholesterol due to genetics (thanks, dad). Do the oats your brother swears by have to be RAW, as in don't cook your oatmeal? And he literally ate them EVERYday? I cannot be on medication until I'm finished having children, which won't be for another decade or so, so I'm eager to try anything else! THANKS!

My husband is thin and had high cholestrol. We have oatmeal every morning but we cook it - baked oatmeal, oatmeal cups, ect. His cholestrol dropped 100 points in 3 months. I read "Prevent a Second Heart Attack: 8 Foods, 8 Weeks to Reverse Heart Disease" by Janet Bond Brill and it really helped!

I too reduced my cholesterol by about 70 points by eating oatmeal every morning for several months. My cholesterol was only slightly high but the reduction was astounding! I used quick oats and mixed them with water and a packet of Splenda (& usually a tablespoon of peanut butter!) and microwaved. Worked perfectly well for me. Cholesterol has stayed down for 3 years too. LOVE oatmeal!!

I think I may try this tonight! I don't have any stevia at home, but I'm thinking agave nectar would work too and it's already in my pantry. I love oatmeal, but living in Texas, I can't bring myself to eat it over the summer...it's just too darn hot! This looks like a great way for me to have my cake (oats) and eat it too!

This has been my go-to breakfast for awhile now - I love it! It's delicious with a scoop of peanut butter mixed in, and I usually put a hefty shake of cinnamon in mine as well. I've also found that if I mash by banana, rather than slicing it, it adds a lot of volume to the oats, which makes it seem like a bigger breakfast! :)

I'm so glad you posted this recipe! The catering company we have at work makes this for our breakfast a LOT but I'm sure it's not the skinny version. It's so good though. I'll definitely be making this version!

Chia seeds don't act like normal seeds -- they expand and secrete a nutritious gel when soaked in liquid, which is why they were a good pudding-maker in Gina's last chia recipe! Flax seeds stay plain ole seeds. :)

I'm a HUGE fan of overnight oatmeal! I can't wait to try your version (as I'm not a fan of Greek yogurt and oats, either). I recently made some that included bananas and cocoa powder. SO good. Thanks for another awesome recipe!

My hubby was diagnosed with high cholesterol and started eating cooked oatmeal every morning and noticed a dramatic decrease in his levels. Like from medication range to healthy range. He attributes it to the oatmeal because it was the only change he made.

this looks fantastic! i usually do greek yogurt and chopped apricots & almonds and chia seeds. i like idea of a more liquid form...i've debated using coconut milk but always chicken out :)i order chia seeds from nuts.com and sometimes amazon.com. better prices IMO!

I use this new Almond Breeze product--blended with coconut milk. 60 calories for a cup and it imparted a great coconut flavor! I think I will leave out the sweetener (I used agave) next time because I have a feeling that the coconutty flavor will be enough! Enjoy!

I was wondering the same thing. I'm thinking they may have to sit longer than overnight, because they are so dense and firm. I think I will go home and try it tonight, though. I love the idea of having something ready for you post-workout, so you don't have to take any extra time to eat breakfast. I have a hard enough time trying to squeeze in a meal in the morning, and have to really push myself to do it. I would also like to try the stevia drops. I use Truvia, which is the only brand that I have been able to tolerate. It gets the job done, but I would like to see how the drops compare. Thanks again, Gina, for such great ideas/recipes!

This sounds great! I like the idea of cold oatmeal in the summer! I have been making chai oatmeal almost every day, with blueberries, peaches and pecans. I boil 1 cup of water and add a chai tea bag and let it steep for 5 minutes, then add 1/2 cup of quick oats and cook for 1 minute. Then I add 2 tsp. maple syrup, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup peaches and 1 Tbsp. pecans. It is delicious, but this sounds better on hot days!

Wonder if you could do this with Quinoa? I am trying to get as many grains out of my diet as possible and have made some yummy porridge with quinoa and almond/coconut milk. I started with some plain, already cooked quinoa, added fruits and milk and cooked until it was thickened up. I may just have to try this tonight with the quinoa to see. It would be great to be able to grab the jar in the morning and eat it when I get to work.

Love this idea and plan to get some jars the next time that I am out. Also planning a trip to get the chia seeds, never had them before! Plan to make up a few jars at a time so when nibble temptation hits in the evening, I can grab something nutritious. Just thinking, maybe get two sizes of jars, breakfast size and snack size. That would keep the portion size to what it should be.

Came out great with Zoom. Didn't have chia so used ground flax meal, and substituted a couple prunes for the banana and blueberries. (had to use what was on hand) Will do this more often. Thank you for the work you do with these recipes!

I also love overnight oats but not with greek yogurt. I have actually never eaten them cold, I usually put them in the micro in the AM. I might venture and try them cold :) Do you know if this could be made with old fashioned oats vs quick cooking?

I have done this for the last week with fat free Greek Yogurt. I use Yoplait Honey Vanilla instead of plain for flavor. It's fat free, but adds like 10g of sugar so if you're watching sugar it's probably not the best. I also add a couple teaspoons of maple syrup and seedless Raspberry or Strawberry jam. It takes any remaining tang off the Greek Yogurt and adds flavor, but doesn't make it too sweet. I have also seen a recipe where you can add a tablespoon or two of PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter which is really healthy stuff. Also, I microwave it in increments stirring in between and it is amazing.

I have been making this for the last week. I love it. I don't add any additional sweetner or sugar. I also use unsweetened applesauce 1/4 cup, 1/4 cup steel cut oatmeal, 1/4 to 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk, 2 tsp Chia Seeds. MMMM Good. I have also used it without the applesauce, added a bananna and 2 TBLS of Powdered peanut butter. so good and its great for us

I've used regular "old fashioned" oats and I actually find that they're better than quick oats. I've found that quick oats can get mushy if you don't eat them soon enough. I also have used regular (sweetened) almond milk instead of any additional sweeteners, and it's perfect.

If, like me, you dislike the tapioca like consistency of chia seeds in liquid, you can always grind them up in a clean coffee grinder or magic bullet first. I'm going to try this for breakfast tomorrow, Thanks!

I can't wait to try this one out! I've been cooking steel cut oats on the stove (bring to boil, simmer x 3 min) and then ladeling into 5 mason jars. They sit on the counter for the day and then I put them in the fridge at night on Sunday. Then in the morning I just stir it up, microwave x 1 min, toss in some crasins, fruit and a spoonful of your apple butter recipe and I have breakfast to go during the work week! I can't wait to give this recipe a try too! Would it work with steel cut oats or must it be quick oats?-Keri

Love the recipe...but I still really struggle to understand the way weight watchers calculates the points...if I were making this it would be 1 for oats, 2 for the milk, 1 for the chia (really half a point, but this is no longer relevant). So...4...I don't care what they say...blueberries will always be zero points to me, lol, unless I am missing something with the drops??THANKS!

This sounds absolutely delicious! I've been looking for a new breakfast alternative! For a long time its been greek yoghurt with fruit and almonds...but I'm getting bored of it and it doesn't fill me up that much...this is awesome! x

I have been making refrigerator oatmeal for a few weeks and I also decided to omit the greek yogurt. I used almond extract and raspberries which was very yummy, but my favorite is straight up coconut, served over a sliced banana,

I have been making these with the Greek Yogurt and oats/fruit/chia seeds/optional sweetener for a couple of months now. LOVE! Sticks to my ribs.

Instead of glass jars, I found Ball BPA-free, "Stack-Lock-Store" plastic freezer jars. Five 8oz size for about $5.00 at Wal-Mart. The lids twist on and the bottoms of the jars screw onto the lid of another jar so they can be stacked to save space in the fridge.

I must try your version, Gina! Thanks for the tip on a better tasting Stevia! Keep up the great posts!

I am in love with this oatmeal. I've been eating a variation of it for two weeks now. I love how cold it is, to contrast the hot weather we've been having. Perfectly refreshing, and the variations are endless!

Thanks for doing this website! We do a similar recipe, using steel-cut oats. Since they're not processed, they have a much slower impact on blood sugar and keep us full all morning. They take 30 minutes to cook, so once a week we make enough to fill a big bowl and store them in the refrigerator. I use 4 cups of water for each 1/4 cup of raw steel-cut oats. Bring the water to a boil, add the oats and cook on low uncovered for about 30 minutes, stirring often. We have enough for at least a week. The oats plump up as they cook - they have a great texture.

Each morning, we just put a half cup in a bowl, add some skim milk or unsweetened almond milk, blueberries, shredded or chopped apple, cinnamon, chopped walnuts and something to sweeten it a little - although the apples add a lot of sweetness! Put in the microwave for minute or two to warm up or eat it cold. For some extra fiber, we stir in 1/4 cup of TOASTED wheat bran and one tablespoon of flax meal. Soooooo delicious - very much like Swiss muesli!

I made some overnight oats last night, I used the same recipe except I put in 1 tablespoon of PB2 and 1/2 banana chopped. It was delish!!! I didn't use nuts trying to cut the points down a little, you actually don't even need the stevia if you use a really ripe banana.

Chia seeds are great and highly nutritious! You can order them from many sources. Great prices at www.vitacost.com, Amazon or http://www.chiaseedsdirect.com/. On another note, I will never use stevia again. Last year I was putting a protein powder in my smoothies. One day I got so dizzy that I could barely stand up. It went on for weeks. After ruling out inner ear, etc, my doctor asked if I was using any new vitamins, etc. Once I mentioned Stevia he told me to get off that immediately, and once I did I was back to normal. I started reading the negative effects of it. My doctor also said that just because it is considered "natural" does not mean it is good. Also, there are no long-term studes yet, so the jury is out. I would hesitate to give this to children, although it seems to be the latest fad! Food for thought....

Thanks for that info! I had the same effect with "Truvia" but realized it had additional ingredients other than stevia. I've had no reaction to liquid stevia and I'm pretty sensitive to everything but will keep that in mind.

Wow. Interesting. I've been using Truvia for quite some time now. I get occasional bouts of dizziness, but blamed it on other things, and it was never enough to be a major nuissance. I will definitely have to do more investigating. Too bad, because Truvia is the only one I've found that I don't hate! I have yet to try the drops, though.Thank you for bringing this to my attention!

Gina, my daughters and I have just discovered summer porridge and have been doing this for about 2-3 weeks now. We love it! It's very filling and absolutely delicious. There are other posts on the internet where you can find different flavor varieties. That is what's so nice - everyone can make their own favorite flavor at night and it's ready to go in the morning. I love that we make these in individual servings and I actually like cold oatmeal better than hot. Thanks for sharing!

There have been so many posts on this I finally decided to try it since I had everything at home. I made mine with the oats and greek yogurt then added a scoop of boysenberry jam and banana. I didn't have chia seeds on hand but had flax seeds.

IT IS AMAZING!! I'm going to try a almond butter and banana version this week as well

Also, funny enough - I have been making that green machine smoothie for quite some time and I love it. It fills me up all day! I've used Kale in it as well which does a good job!

I've been making this every day to help with breast milk production and to lose weight :) I actually use the vanilla almond milk with some honey and cinnamon. I have never liked warm oatmeal or oatmeal made with water.

Delicious! Used ground flax seed (what I ahd on hand) instead of chia seeds and a drop of agave nectar. The best part - it shaved at least 10 minutes off my morning wondering what to make for breakfast!

Gina Im gonna make this tonight but I would like to know if the optional nuts will add more pints to the recipe or if these were in it. Thank you, carmen

I gotta tell you that my husband and love the pernil in the slow cooker..he is puertorrican and told me that didnt miss the skin...yeahhh! Can you believe that?! He loved the cuban sadw. i made the following day too =)Thanks for sharing all your recies with us.

WOW!I finally found someone else allergic to bananas! Any other fruit ideas to replace the bananas would be wonderful! This sounds like an excellant quick but good for you breakfast when I get up at 5am!

I get up at 5 am too, and usually bring my breakfast to work with me. Greek yogurt with berries is getting old, though, LOL. And yes, being allergic to bananas sucks, and nobody believes me when I tell them!

I made this last night and it was awesome!! I used cocoa powder and banana with almond/coconut milk. I may have to adjust the liquid a bit because I omitted the chia seeds..it was a bit soupy. But this is a fabulous summer oatmeal!!

I made this last night, took it to work and just ate it ...I'm sad its gone! I used 1/4 c regular oats, one packet of truvia(I dont mind the taste), 1/2 c of skim milk, 1/2 banana and a very ripe peach. OMG it was amazing. I even forgot to top with someone crunchy but I didnt mind. sooo delicious! I can't wait to try other variations. Thanks Gina!

I just finished eating this for breakfast this morning. It is delicious! I used the unsweetened vanilla almond milk and followed the rest of the recipe as written. However, I did not add any sweetener at all, and I didn't miss it. It was sweet enough from the fruit in my opinion. Thanks for another great recipe, Gina!

Delicious! I tasted it a few hours after mixing it up and did not like it and I thought there was no way I would be able to eat it for breakfast. Boy, was I wrong, it was so good. Loved it cold, and with all the fruit in it,I didnt think it needed any more sweetening. Thanks for all the wonderful recipes, you are so inspiring with all these pretty, tasty, healthy recipes. I have tried many and loved them all-so does my husband and children. Thanks again!

I made last night and just ate this for breakfast and it was soooo tasty, however I used fresh strawberries instead of blueberries. As someone else mentioned I forgot my crunchy topping but really didn't need it. I will be making this again, thanks again for another yummy recipe!

This was awesomely delicious. Thanks! I have to make myself eat breakfast because I'm never hungry in the morning so I am constantly looking for something that is easy and fills me up. This was perfect.